Landlord Gets His Tenant's Cars Towed Because They Were Preventing Snowplow From Clearing The Driveway, Gets Threatened With Lawsuit

"I do feel bad, but there are city ordinances about snow removal that I need to adhere to as the homeowner."

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• January 20, 2023

OP (35M) bought a new home and decided to rent out his old house instead of selling it. His current tenants had been there for about 18 months with no issues.

When a large snowstorm hit the area, about 20 inches in 3 days, OP paid a plow service to clear the driveway and parking area of the rental property as stated in the rental agreement. He also asked the tenants to move their cars out of the parking area and driveway so the plow truck could maneuver adequately and move the snow safely.

OP sent an email to the tenants notifying them of the date and time that the plow truck was scheduled to be at the house but received no reply. He then sent a text, called, and left a message but still received no response.

On the day of the scheduled plow truck, OP received a call from the driver saying that he couldn't plow the snow because too many cars were in the way. When OP went over to the house, he observed five vehicles, 2 of which he did not recognize.

The driver said he had knocked on the door, but no one answered. OP tried calling again, but there was no answer, so he called a tow truck, had all five cars towed, and got the plow truck to clear the snow.

The next day, OP finally got a call back from his tenant saying they had been out of state visiting family for the holidays and didn't have cell service or internet access. The tenant asked if OP could wait to remove the snow until they returned in a couple of days, but OP had to tell him that their cars had already been towed.

The tenant was not happy and let loose with a string of expletives about how OP had no right to tow their vehicles and threatened to sue him for damages. OP advised the tenant to reread the rental agreement regarding parking and snow removal, but the tenant started cussing and insulting him.

Read the full story below:

OP asks:

When a large snowstorm hit the area, about 20 inches in 3 days, OP paid a plow service to clear the driveway and parking area of the rental property as stated in the rental agreement.

He also asked the tenants to move their cars out of the parking area and driveway so the plow truck could maneuver adequately and move the snow safely.

He then sent a text, called, and left a message but still received no response.

On the day of the scheduled plow truck, OP received a call from the driver saying that he couldn't plow the snow because too many cars were in the way. When OP went over to the house, he observed five vehicles, 2 of which he did not recognize.

OP sent another email. No repsonce

He finally reached his tenants

He was not happy

OP told him to take a look at the rental contract, but got a string of cusses.

OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the a-hole:

Redditors say:

It's not OP's fault they weren't reachable for days

Some leases mention notifying the landlord about absence

Snow needs to be cleared

Good to know

Something doesn't add up there

Hard to beleive

This Redditor says:

OP did the right thing

Bad experience with snow and ice:

Notify people if you are going to places with no reception

Damjan